6 March 2015
The preseason is complete, and we're ready to begin our Premier Division campaign. You'll recognize most of the names in this feature on the 2015 Galway United team.
Goalkeepers
Bradford will be in a Galway shirt for good on 1 July, when his contract with Sunderland expires and he signs for us. After his outstanding performance last year, I'm delighted to have him back.
Byrne and
O'Connor are adequate backups, who might get a cup game here and there. Darcy is the unquestioned number one, however.
Defenders
All four starting defenders from last season made the 2014 First Division Team of the Year, and they'll have the opportunity to show what they can do at a higher level this season.
Murphy is the star, a formidable center half who is tidy with the ball, too.
Molloy was attracting interest from St. Pat's and at one point was on the verge of asking for a move so he could play European football. I managed to convince him to stick around, but the situation bears watching.
Woods and
Díaz were as reliable as the sunrise last year. They both had very good preseasons, including solid performances against Premier Division opponents.
Sikumoya is in on a year-long loan from Chelsea. As you might expect from a player trained by one of the biggest clubs in Europe, he is skilled and athletic, and he can play all along the back line and as a holding midfielder. Aaron will definitely be the primary backup for both wide defenders--that's why I brought him in.
Connolly,
Thornton, and
Reilly will also be available. The first two are promising youngsters. Reilly is nominally the captain, but he might not see much playing time.
Midfielders
O'Connor didn't receive a lot of fanfare for his solid, consistent play last season. The holding role I have him playing doesn't afford him a lot of chance to shine, but his ability to shield the back four and make smart passes is vital to making our tactic work.
Ryan and
Russell are both Galway lads who take a lot of pride in their club. Kieron plays farther up the pitch, and is our team's leading creative force. Billy is a versatile, all-action midfielder with an increasingly professional attitude about his craft.
Jamaican winger
Watson brings his blistering pace back to the right wing, but he'll miss the first weeks of the season with knee ligament issues. He'll see plenty of
Talsma in the physio room; the Dutch wide man is there yet again, this time for a sprained ankle.
Rudmer isn't getting any younger, he's hurt frequently, and he sometimes whinges about playing time when he's not hurt. I had my scout,
Wooter Beentjes, look for another option at left wing.
Beentjes returned with
Van Daele. I don't know whether the fact Hoek were willing to send Pasquale out on loan to us says more about the quality of the Irish Premier Division or that of the Dutch Hoofdklasse Zaterdag B. We had to pay his wages, but he's on €110/week. Most of our fringe players make three times that much.
Pasquale's technique is smooth, whether he's dribbling, passing, or crossing. He's fast enough to be dangerous. And he's absolutely rock-solid mentally--he's Hoek's team captain. If he's anywhere close to being as good as our staff (and I) think he is, he will be an absolute steal. He's ours for five months, at least.
You might have spotted a FIVE-STAR PLAYER on this list!
Wooter Beentjes discovered
Johansson playing for Frej in the Swedish Second Division. I checked out his profile and was immediately impressed. Peter is a cultured midfielder with the ability to play both in the middle of the park and on the wings. He's not flashy, but he works tirelessly and keeps his head in the game.
I took a flyer on him, seeing if his club would send him out on loan. They agreed, as long as we paid his wages--€550/week. That's well within our budget now, so we completed the paperwork and Peter got on a plane to Ireland. He'll probably start the season playing right wing while
Watson heals. Wherever he plays, he should be an absolute boss.
My kids, who are taking quite an interest in Dad's game, have already nicknamed him, just in case he makes good. They love the Chronicles of Narnia, so now he's
High King Peter.
Kelly and
McManus are the other new names. Thomas was released by Derry City last year, and I picked him up as a squad player. We'd been looking at John all last year and couldn't afford him, but jumped at the chance to sign him from Letterkenny once we were promoted. He's a cross between Russell and Ryan, and will back both these lads up.
Attackers
McCabe was a very pleasant surprise last year. His pace wreaked havoc on First Division defenses; will it play as well in the top flight?
Joyce, whom I brought in as a first-team striker, wasn't as effective, despite having a better assortment of attributes for the Complete Forward role.
Dennis de Jonge suggested we strengthen our strike force, so we took a look at West Ham's
Nolan. He's an athletic forward and a clinical finisher, and he has the kind of personality I want in our team. Declan shares an agent with several of his teammates, including
Malloy and
O'Connor. In on a year-long loan deal, he will begin the season as our front man.
We signed free agent
Kennedy this winter, too. Niall offers lots of pace, and he's an extremely unselfish, determined player. He's also studying for his coaching badges.
There might not be much room for
Collins, but I like him and his Professional personality, so I'm keeping him around.
Bright Young Things
We were invited to play in the Irish Under 19 league, so our youth will get more regular playing time this season. Last year, I had to schedule a series of friendlies to get the young lads on the pitch.
Zonneveld and
Sheridan both got significant playing time during the preseason, and neither looked out of place. I've signed both of them to pro contracts, along with
Chambers, whom my staff rate much more highly now than they did before.
McEntee, whose meh personality might be one reason why his development has been sporadic so far, is now being tutored by
McManus, one of the most determined players in the team.
Hutton, on the other hand, is improving steadily and might be one of the best players in the U19 ranks now.
So Long, Farewell
Six players whose contracts ran out at the end of the 2014 season are not returning. We say goodbye to
Conor Fitzpatrick,
Dave Cronin,
Jamie Longworth,
Frankie Matthews,
John O'Connor, and
Barry McGee.
Matthews, who scored eight goals and assisted on eight others in U19 friendlies, will be the one we miss most. We couldn't agree on a contract, so he bade us farewell.
McGee was also a useful player, but he can't do anything
McManus can't do, and he's six years older.
The Big Picture
When I compare our team to the rest of the league, I'm optimistic about our chances to stay up. In fact, we look much more like a mid-table club than a relegation battler.